If you're not enrolled to vote, visit theElectoral Commission; call 0800 36 76 56; or freetext your name and address to 3676. Then you can request a special vote at the Rangiora Service Centre.

Who am I voting for?

Waimakariri District Council has two decision-making parts: the Council and Community Boards.
You will be able to vote for:

the mayor and ward councillors

Community Board members.

Ward and community board boundaries have changed; you can find your new ward and community board boundaries on this map. The term for elected members is three years.

Council

The Council is made up of the mayor and 10 councillors. It makes decisions important to Waimakariri as a whole.
All Waimakariri voters elect the mayor, while councillors are elected by voters from the ward they represent.

Waimakariri's four community boards represent their individual areas. Each community board has between five and eight members, elected by voters from the areas they represent. Councillors are also members of the Community Board covering their ward.
Community boards make decisions on local issues, activities and facilities, and help build strong communities.

You can also vote in the Canterbury District Health Board (DHB) elections and Environment Canterbury (ECan) elections when you vote in the Local Government Council elections. Candidate information and voting papers for these elections will be mailed to you at the same time.

DHBs are the governing bodies responsible for overseeing the delivery of health and disability services in their districts.
For more information, visit theCanterbury District Health Boardwebsite.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) elections

You can also vote in the Environment Canterbury (ECan) elections.
A total of seven councillors will be elected – four from Christchurch, three from rural districts (1 from the North Canterbury area).
For more information, visit Ecan's website.

When will the results be known?

Preliminary election results for the Council and Community Boards are expected by 4pm on Saturday 8 October and will be placed on the Council website, and the main doors at the Rangiora Service Centre.

Final results will be publicly notified in the local newspaper 14-18 October and on the Council website.

The newly elected members will start their role once formally sworn in at the end of October 2016 for a three year term.

What are the voting systems used?

Two voting systems are used for the 2016 local elections in the Waimakariri District.

First Past the Post (FPP)

The First Past the Post (FPP) electoral system is used for Council and Community Board elections.

Using the FPP system, electors vote by indicating their preferred candidate(s) by ticking a box. The candidate(s) that receives the most votes is declared the winner. The FPP electoral system is used for Waimakariri District Council and Environment Canterbury.

Single Transferable Vote (STV)

The Single Transferable Vote (STV) electoral system is compulsory for all District Health Board elections.

STV is a proportional electoral system and electors are required to rank their candidates in order of preference. Check outwww.stv.govt.nzto find out how STV works.

Why are the candidates' names all jumbled up on the voting papers?

The different authorities electing members can make a decision under local electoral legislation about whether names will be listed on the voting document in alphabetical, pseudo-random or random order.

For the 2016 elections, the Waimakariri District Council has chosen to use random order for candidate names in the voting documents. This means that all voting documents will be different.

Where can I vote?

The voting period is from Friday 16 September to Noon, Saturday 8 October 2016. Votes must be in the Electoral Officer’s hands by 12 noon, Saturday 8 October 2016 to be counted.

If there is insufficient time for your vote to be returned in the mail by the deadline (5 October), then it should be delivered to ballot boxes located at:

Why is the return address for voting papers in Christchurch?

Voting papers are processed under contract by a company in Christchurch.

Who can make a special vote?

Special votes are available to electors:

·whose names do not appear on the final Electoral Roll, but who qualify as electors

·who did not receive a voting document previously posted to them

·who spoil or damage a voting document previously posted to them

·whose names appear on the Unpublished Roll

Special votes require the completion of a statutory declaration. This is a legal requirement and protects against possible duplicate voting.

Visit the Waimakariri District Council Main office(Service Centre) in Rangiora (215 High Street) to make a Special Vote. You can also emailelections@wmk.govt.nzto request a special vote.

If an elector requests a special vote and is not on the Parliamentary Roll (e.g. they turn 18 years of age after the Preliminary Electoral Roll closes), the person must enrol by close of business on Friday 8 October 2016.

The Rangiora Service Centre will be open from 9am to noon on Saturday 8 October to receive voting papers and to issue special votes. No other business will be able to be transacted.

Why do we have a by-election so soon after the Local Government Elections?

Due to the resignation of Karen Eastwood from the Woodend-Sefton Community Board, a by-election is triggered.

Can the next candidate on the October 2016 list be appointed to the Community Board?

No. The Electoral Act 2001 (section 17) requires that if a vacancy occurs in the office of a member of a local authority or in the office of an elected member of a community board more than 12 months before the next triennial general election, the vacancy must be filled by an election under this Act.

It is only if a vacancy occurs within 12 months of the next triennial general election that a Community Board could consider options of appointing a person.

How often do the Community Board meet?

The Woodend-Sefton Community Board meet on the second Monday of the month, commencing at 7pm, in several locations within the community area. In addition, there are associated community meetings to attend, and Board related meetings intermittently during the year. For further detail about the Community Board, contact the Deputy Electoral Officer/Governance Manager, Sarah Nichols on 03 311 8900.

What is a subdivision?

For the purposes of the election (voting), only those eligible residents in that particular subdivision will be able to vote for candidates (Board members) standing in that particular subdivision. Once elected they will be working for the whole Community Board area, i.e. Rangiora-Ashley Community Board – five member vacancies for the Rangiora urban boundary and three member vacancies for the rural areas (Fernside, Cust, Okuku, Loburn).

Councillors will be elected by all eligible residents of the whole ward.